If the propaganda to the Italian people told the Ethiopians were cruel and savage people I donīt think they would care if gas was used. Besides it happened quite far away from Italy so...
-----------
The League half-heartedly pursues sanctions against Italy, but the action is "monstrous," according to Mussolini: "There is only one means in the world of imposing culture on backward people: force." If the League "revengefully" continues to pursue sanctions, "I warn you, I am ready to go to war in Europe. The Italian people have created an empire with their blood, and they will defend it with their blood."
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/woo...l/ethiopia.htm
In the opening scene Selassie talks to reporters in Jerusalam, Israel, where they comment on how his hands look "burned raw."
"Yes, the poison gas, but it is nothing. I was fortunate to escape with my life." He explains that he left the country to "save my people from extermination by Italian poison gas."
--------
Mussolini and his generals sought to cloak the operations of chemical warfare in the utmost secrecy, but the use of gas was revealed to the world through the denunciations of the International Red Cross and of many foreign observers. The Italian reaction to these revelations consisted in the "erroneous" bombardment (at least 19 times) of Red Cross tents posted in the areas of military encampment of the Ethiopian resistance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_...Abyssinian_War
---------
But other journalists there - for example George Steer of The Times - argued that the use of gas was of major significance.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertain...ts/2967811.stm
In 1935 Steer covered the Italian invasion of Ethiopia for The Times and reported that Italian forces used mustard gas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Steer